By Allison Sherry
The Denver Post
Cattle Barron and Enemy to Wild Horses, Burros and Free Press to Resign
WASHINGTON — Interior Secretary Ken Salazar will step down from his cabinet position in the Obama administration and return to Colorado to spend time with his family, his office has confirmed to The Denver Post.
Salazar is expected to broadly announce his departure Wednesday. He has told President Barack Obama that he intends to leave his job by the end of March.
Salazar, 57, will have served a little more than four years in Obama’s cabinet after being plucked from his beloved U.S. Senate seat serving Colorado in 2008.
His decision on whether to stay on at the helm of Interior or return to Colorado — and likely the less-glamorous but more-lucrative private sector — has been weighing on Salazar for a long time.
The president and the vice president have indicated they would like him to stay on at Interior. Obama, at a campaign event in Pueblo last year, called Salazar “one of the finest senators that the state of Colorado ever had, who is now doing a great job looking after the natural resources of this beautiful country of ours.”
Last fall, Salazar spent much his personal time campaigning for Obama in Colorado. When badgered about his future by local and national reporters, he usually demurred, saying he wanted to get the president re-elected before thinking about it.
The secretary is not shy talking about how much he loves his job as steward of the country’s public lands. He often says the Department of Interior is really the Department of America.
“As I think about my role as secretary of the Interior, it is perhaps the most wonderful job of any cabinet position in the United States,” Salazar said in December. “I would not trade it for attorney general or Housing and Urban Development or Transportation because I would find those jobs a little boring.”
But the pull of family obligations — he and his wife are primary caretakers of their 5-year-old granddaughter who has autism and is enrolled in a special school — was too great to commit to four more years, Salazar’s office said.
His days in Washington are long. Some weeks he spends 16 hours a day traveling from one far-flung location to the other — from some pristine causeway in California to the Hurricane Sandy-ravaged New Jersey coast.
Salazar has said in his four years he is most proud of improving the relationship the federal government has with American Indians, cleaning up the oil and gas program after former departments were plagued with scandal and nepotism, and broadening a clean energy agenda.
The secretary established seven new national parks and 10 new wildlife refuges. He also launched 18 utility-scale solar energy projects on public lands. Before 2009, there were hundreds of pending applications but no construction projects approved.
He has also dealt with several natural and environmental disasters, including the explosion of a BP-operated deep water oil well, Deepwater Horizon, in the Gulf of Mexico in April 2010.
Roughly 53,000 gallons of crude poured into the sea a day for nearly three months. While weathering criticism, Salazar issued a moratorium on new offshore drilling leases and launched an aggressive overhaul of safety standards for offshore oil and gas development.
In his push to grow regulations for domestic energy production on federal lands — particularly post Deepwater Horizon — he often tangled with House Republicans, many of whom have called him one of the worst Interior secretaries in the history of the United States.
Salazar usually fired back. In an April 2012 speech at the National Press Club, he called House Republicans “charter members of the Flat Earth Society” who lived in an imaginary energy world of “fairy tales.”
“It’s a place where up is seen as down, where left is seen as right, where oil shale seems to be mistaken every day in the U.S. House of Representative for shale oil, where record profits justify billions of dollars in subsidies,” he said.
Salazar’s future in politics — at least in Colorado — is unclear.
Many old Democratic hands would love to see him seek statewide office again, though the high-profile seats are tied up with other Democrats, Gov. John Hickenlooper and Sens. Mark Udall and Michael Bennet.
Should Hickenlooper decide to run for — and win — a second term, he would be governor until 2018. Udall has already announced his 2014 re-election campaign and Bennet doesn’t have to run again until 2016.
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Related Articles
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- Good riddance and DLTDHYOTWO: Ken Salazar exiting Interior in March (michellemalkin.com)
Categories: Horse News, Horse Slaughter, Wild Burros, Wild Horses/Mustangs
Straight from the Horse's Heart 
http://youtu.be/2KIsa8-aXpk
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I whish he was already gone! Will be counting the days! Thank You for all of your deadication & hard work for the horses! God Is Good!!!
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AMEN!
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If you read this article. you will need a barf bag.
Ain’t out of there fast enough for me, wild equine/land raping criminal.
Wanna bet the Prez puts another killer in the job?!?!?
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I agree, on all counts!!!!
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Ditto!
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I wonder who will take his place? Will it be better or worse for the wild horses and burros?
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It/he/she will be the same old, same old….which in many ways will be worse, especially for the equines, wildlife and in the end…us/US.
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I was going to say the same thing, I wish he was already gone.
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I can’t bring myself to care today. We aren’t going to get Grijalva or someone who will seriously try to preserve the land and protect the horses and burros. The new guy will be just as bad.
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DO NOT GIVE IN < KEEP calling everyday to the Pres comment line asking to Appoint Senator Raul Grijalva 202-456-1111
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Dear Steve AWESOME POST, Thank You Did the Happy Dance many times to it !!!!! Somebody Please inform the Mustangs !!!!!!!!! I bet Pam Nicohles will Photo the Mustangs doing the Happy Dance also !!!!!! The Horse Hitler will be gone , cant come to soon can it !!!!! I feel a great sense of a weight being lifted, I see the Sun on the Horizon for the Mustangs !!!!!!! OHHHHHH PLease Let the New Head of the Dept of the Interior be Raul Grijalva , PLEASE get on Making calls to Obamas Comment line with calls to appoint Raul Grijalva !!!! We must now push this like never before !!!!!! dont stop call like I do everyday !!!!!!!!!! Sen Grijalva is the only one with the experience and compassion , he knows how needed they are and how much a part of America they are !!!!!! Here is our Chance to really SPEAK for the Mustangs ,
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Call write, call write, call write to get Raul Grijalva into that position!
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Ken Salazar should pay for the atrocities he’s committed against our wild mustangs and other wildlife, such as the wolves!
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Tags: Barack Obama, Cruelty to animals, Ken Salazar—says it all. Perhaps Ken can train as a boxer.? I’ll shut up now.
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Lol.. I hear ya..
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Arlene, you are right about Grijalva. We all need to call every day like you do. Horse Hitler is a great name for him !
Salazar’s solar panel projects in the desert are destroying it, and he was over MS that didn’t have the inspections that could have prevented the Gulf disaster.
Horse therapy would be a great help to his autistic granddaughter but he hates horses so I doubt if she’ll get it.
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Reblogged this on angelfarm and commented:
This man replacement deserves our attention and effort! Great good for our Wild Ones could start here!
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Never more disappointed in Obama as when I read his glowing comments on what Salazar has done. Pretty clear that Obama approves on the destruction of wild horses, wolves and the rape of the environment. Gives ‘Yes we can’ a whole different meaning.
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Obama is hitting the crack pipe too hard!!!!
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It appears that Secretary Salazar’s primary role in this administration was to assist in the President’s re-election, and he provided a very big assist. Perhaps the President is afraid some of what the Secretary has done for him will soon blow up.
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A dream come true and seemed so out of reach a year ago. Still the man is escaping the accountability of the horrific breach of the Americans trust in everything he had a part in… Time to put our backs into our very best effort to see a capable compassionate heart in this important position!
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With his grand child having autism he better not think off using equine therapy after destroying the very beings that could help the child. I know this because I’ve seen the wonderful things that the horses do for the kids.. Grrr
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No my eyes, mind and this phones spell check are not working but you know what i mean…lol
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RT. You can delete this post..
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Terri….it would be better if RT could delete the killers of US equines, wild and domestic.
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Good for him. Who is next? Another Atilla the Hun? Or maybe Hitler? I only hope for the best to undo the damage that this jerk has done to our mustangs and wolves.
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This is indeed good news, but rumor has it that Sandoval is in the running for the job. If this is true, we just might be jumping from the frying pan into the fire. Grijalva deserves this job, and our wild horses deserve Grijalva. Lord, help us.
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The Senate has to confirm all cabinet nominations. However, if Sandoval is well aware that Nevada is sitting on black gold. Sandoval made a big speech today about how he was going to bring jobs to Nevada. Believe he outlined highlights of his 6.5 million dollar plan.
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Let’s remember that the BP oil spill happened under Salazar’s watch…before he “dealt” with it.
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Slaughterczar should have been fired then and there!
He NEVER dealt with Deepwater and the situation has only gotten worse (drilling and mining and wildlife as in wild equines). 11 dead humans, jobs, businesses and homes/land lost…and wild equines….GONE FOREVER under this criminal and his boss, the Prez.
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Everything that Salazar did surrounding the Deep Water Horizon spill—-everything—had the objective of making it easier for the President to get re-elected. I know that may seem like a reach, but when you get to all the bickering between him and the House Republicans—-where he calls them the Flat Earth Society because he supposedly has done wonderful things for sustainable energy which is inefficient and has not worked is all a facade.
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March is not soon enough and this criminal gets off scott free with no charges. sickening. salazoo is complicit in the Deepwater catastrophe, he signed the leases knowing there were problems with the drill site. He did NOT improve safety or diminish chances of it happening again because blowout preventers are flawed in design and still will not work. It’s not a matter of “if” but “when” it will happen again. Then there’s the crimes against endangered & protected wildlife and the theft & rape of our Public lands. Who do they think they’re fooling with this fluff?
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It’s not that big a deal in the context of our discussion, but to the contrary, there are hundreds of deep water rigs drilling around the world at greater depths than the Deep Water Horizon was drilling. Most without problems. That is why Federal Judge Martin Feldman laughted when Secretary Salazar sent the first WH request for a moratorium.
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IMHO , All things considered the statement “He often says the Department of Interior is really the Department of America.”
combined with
I think how we treat our animals reflects how we treat each other { barack hussian obama Jan.16,2008 }
and
“As long as we have the minds of the majority, we will reach our goals”
~ Karl Marx, Communist
Plus
What luck for rulers that men do not think.
Adolf Hitler (1889 – 1945)
Equals
Chilling Proven facts that says it all !!
God Bless ALL who are fighting against the destruction of OUR , Wild and Domestic Animals , and OUR country !!
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We need to know who is being considered.
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ps . Read at http://www.cnn.com/interactive/2012/11/politics/obama-cabinet/index.html
Ken Salazar might be stepping down in Obama’s second term but not because the interior chief reportedly threatened to take a swing at a Colorado reporter (for which he later apologized). Salazar may be opting instead to take a private-sector job in Colorado, where he and his wife care for their autistic granddaughter, Politico reported. If he does leave, his retirement will be one of three environmentally focused, secretary-level positions to see turnover in the Obama administration’s second term.
Contender: David Hayes
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I am very sorry to learn that the Salazar’s granddaughter has autism. Sometimes early intervention can mitigate some of its effects. However, I hope for his granddaughter’s sake that he has a bigger heart than he has shown.
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WARNING: Just as he has with his other REPLACEMENTS, don’t count on anything but worse than who he is replacing. Obama’s agenda is to bring this country to its knees and he doesn’t care who has to be sacrificed to do it. He couldn’t care less about the horses. Horses can do nothing for him, because most of you all voted for him and have are no threat to him now. We are nothing but a group of whiney nothings to Obama and the horses mean even less. Stock up on hay, feed…keep it from getting moldy…stock up on unperishable food & water for your family…the worst is yet to come.
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AMEN !!! to that ViktoriaKS !!!
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Fantastic news. Loved the video. Bye, bye Slaughterzar. Why wait till March. There is no better time than the present.
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200+ organizations have joined together already to form a lobbiest group representing all aspects of public lands and wildlife…together we have power..sign all the petitions up..it is a day to celebrate for all of our organizations..Advocates for the west is the law firm out of idaho that represents WWP
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Do you have links?
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Good question.
I would also add that the White House petition site, after batpoop crazy petitions has increased the number of sigs required to get a response from the White House.
Anyone have a link to the White House petition site for a nominee to DOI and save wild equines, or pass the antislaughter bill for US equines?
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Dear Sandra Please keep us informed !!!!!!! I am hoping they will be Backing Senator Raul Grijalva
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Sandra,
Unless there is a commitment from these wildlife groups to consider wild horses as North American wild life, I am uneasy about using about this alliance. Michael Hutchens, CEO of the Wildlife Society who testified in the House for FWS against the CWHPA wrote a blog where he made it quite clear that in his opinion “feral” horses are not sustainable—and that they are romantic symbols of our colonialism. We have never been invited by Wildlife and environmental groups to join them based on their willingness to share natual resources with the horses. In fact, it almost sounds as if they want to make sure wild horses are kept off resources for “real” wild life.
Just curious. It would make a difference for me….However, I never see anything from any of the wildlife groups that want to include wild horses—most want them treated as non-native, invasives…
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Typical puff-piece by the local media in Salazoo’s back yard. Huge mistake in reporting–where the heck is the editor? The gusher in the Gulf was releasing 53,000 BARRELS A DAY, not 53,000 Gallons a Day!! The total was on order of 4.9 MILLION BARRELS. Look up the backstory which ran in Rolling Stone. That one dug deep into the machinations by the Feds and the entwined petrochemical giants to cover up what went wrong, what was happening during the flow, and the pathetically uninformed response by both the states affected and the Feds. The final truth, with the Corexit dumped to disperse the “evidence” (the oil) into the water and the aggregate burden of that much oil in a marine system already struggling with the impacts of algae blooms, overfishing, warming oceans, chemical runoff—is that Humans really do not have the ability to clean up their messes when they are that big. The Human just off-loads the costs to the greater environment, and this is our Economic accounting system. Disasters even “create” wealth, which we see with the contracts paid to Cattoor or SunJ, because economists only “count” the money changing hands, not the externalization of the real ‘costs’
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don’t let the door hit ya on the way out Ken! I’ve been waiting to hear this news for the last 12 years! We need a petition started or is there one? to get Raul Grijalva in there!
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You know the government site where a person can start a petition well I just heard on Fox that now you will need 100,000 signatures instead of the 25,000. I think they were sent so many petitions wanting changes to the government they decided to make it impossible for anyone to ever get their petition request answered. So much for transparency.
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Ken Salazar left a horrible legacy of torture and enslavement and death for our nation’s last relatively few remaining wild horses and burros. He turned a deaf ear and blind eye and closed mind to all we wild horse and burro advocates had to say. I pray that a true appreciator and champion for restoring the horses and burros to their rightful areas and these areas to their rightful wild horses and burros shall be appointed in his place. This would make such a wonderful world of difference especially for the horses and burros concerned, but also for all the other beings who share their world, including us two-legged ones. So many that have been wrongfully removed should be restored. Reserve Design should be implemented for truly long-term viable and naturally self-stablizing populations. I too favor Raul Grijalva for his replacement. Let’s work toward this now!
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Raul Grijava was the Man for this Job years ago, , Obama owed favors to Slaughterczar so he didnt get appointed , what A DISASTER THAT WAS , on many counts !!!!! Raul Grijalva has a huge mess to clean up,,,,,,,, But he is the Man to do it and do it right with his compassion for the America and its Treasures(the wild mustangs ) …. He will I have no doubt have the Mustangs back where they belong THE OPEN RANGE and its 25 million acres that belongs to the Mustangs …………………… we will be here to HELP him in anyway we can !!!!!! Start making those phone calls now everyday do not let one day pass without making that call to 202-456-1111, make it second nature !!!! Raul Grijalva ……………..
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1-16-2013 The President’s Horse Slaughter Czar, Salazar, had done his intended damage to America’s Wild Horses-Burros. Now Mr. President, it is time to listen to us in your 2nd Term and appoint Grijalva as Secretary of Interior. Do the right thing please!
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It can’t be soon enough this monster is gone. Don’t let the door hit you in the ass. I hope who ever replaces him puts a stop to the round up’s for good and no more slaughtering the horses and burros, no more mistreatment. I don’t mind the wranglers being on unemployment or ever.
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Too bad this is real life and not science fiction or else we could just send them through the worm hole.
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I’m happy he’s leaving, I just pray that whoever takes his place will be better, & actually care about the wild equines, all wild animals & their environments. Someone who will actually protect, preserve, & stand behind all laws, & enforce those laws made to protect. Someone who won’t & can not be swayed by those in power, those with big money & greedy ideas, someone with real integrity & honesty, & someone who will listen to the people of this country, not just those looking out for themselves!
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